The Future’s in Our Hands: Reclaiming our rivers Alistair Boxall, John Lawton, Rachael Maskell and Marie Taylor

Alistair Boxall is Professor in Environmental Science in the Environment Department and Director of the NERC-funded ECORISC Centre for Doctoral Training. Alistair’s research focuses on understanding emerging and future ecological and health risks posed by chemical contaminants in the natural environment. Alistair regularly advises national and international organisations on issues around chemicals in the environment. He received the Recipharm International Environment Award in 2016 and the THE Award for International Collaboration in 2022 for his work on chemicals in the environment.

Sir John Lawton was Chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (2005–2011). He served as Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council (1999–2005) and Director of the Centre for Population Biology at Imperial College (1989–1999). Trained as a zoologist at the University of Durham, John subsequently held posts at the universities of Oxford and York. His scientific interests have focused on the population dynamics and biodiversity of birds and insects, with an emphasis over the last three decades on the impacts of global environmental change. He is a past President of the British Ecological Society and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and a former Chairman of the RSPB Council. He is currently a Vice-President of RSPB. John was knighted in 2005 for his contributions to ecological science. He has been awarded numerous other national and international prizes, including the 2004 Japan Prize. He was elected as a Foreign Member of both the US National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008.

Rachael Maskell was elected as the Member of Parliament for York Central in 2015 and campaigns tirelessly for her constituents in York Central. With a career in the NHS, working as a senior physiotherapist in ITU and acute medicine and as the Head of Health at Unite, Rachael continues to use her expertise in Westminster to progress healthcare and protect the NHS and is Vice Chair of the Health and Social Care Health Select Committee. With the challenges people experience in York, Rachael has recently advanced legislation to regulate Short Term Holiday Lets, and speaks regularly on issues from housing and development, the economy, health and social care and the environment and climate. As a trade unionist, she also makes the case for advancing workers’ rights, not least through her Bill to tackle Bullying at Work.

Marie Taylor is CEO of the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust (YDRT). She joined the Trust in 2017 as a Project Officer, becoming Operations Director in 2020 and CEO in 2022. She leads the strategic direction of the Trust, enabling her team to deliver practical, high-impact environmental solutions aligned with YDRT’s mission. With over a decade of experience in the environmental charity sector, including three years at board level, Marie focuses on building organisational resilience and partnerships that deliver lasting benefits for nature and communities. Marie’s career began at the Lincolnshire Rivers Trust, where she coordinated the River Witham Catchment under DEFRA’s Catchment Based Approach. She led projects in river habitat restoration, invasive species management, citizen science, and environmental education, working closely with stakeholders such as the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, and local authorities.